Episode 51: Cozy Christmas Reads 2025

Hello, hi, and welcome to Medium Lady Reads. This is episode 51 - A VERY special episode, our FIFTH annual Cozy Christmas Reads! This is the perfect time of year for some emotional junk food in book form!

We are celebrating the fifth season of our annual Cozy Christmas Reads episode. Here are the links to 2021, 2022 and 2023 and 2024. For those who know the Cozy Christmas episode traditions well, you know that means we’re joined by two amazing and special guests Stef Cunningham and Ali Oppenlaender.

In This Episode:

• The show starts how it always does, with the ladies & their special guests checking in on how their reading is going.
• The ladies rank their reads from Scrooge to Christmas on Hallmark Street.
• Next up, the friends share the books they brought to the episode. Listener, you’ll be walking away with 8 cozy books for your holiday listening.
• It wouldn’t be an episode of Medium Lady Reads without hot takes. Tune in to find out what we’re all thinking.
• All four women share what they’re waiting for from the library and what they’re reading next.

Books Mentioned in This Episode:

• All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker 
• Maple Syrup: A Short History of Canada's Sweetest Obsession by Peter Kuitenbrouwer
• Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
• Tress and The Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
• Hot Desk by Laura Dickerman
• Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
• Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake
• I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Jenny Bayliss
• Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss
• Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss
• The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss
• December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss
• Kiss Me at Christmas by Jenny Bayliss
• Half Spent was the Night by Ami McKay 
• The Mistletoe Mystery: A Maid Novella by Nita Prose
• A Merry Little Lie by Sarah Morgan
• The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan
• The Bookbinder by Pip Williams
• The Dictionary of Lost of Words by Pip Williams
• Good Spirits by B.K. Borison
• Love Light Farms by B.K. Borison
• First Time Caller by B.K. Borison
• The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
• Christmas at the Ranch by Julia McKay
• How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
• One In A Million Boy by Monica Wood
• The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
• A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
• Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola
• In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy
• Alchemised by SenLinYu 
• Spectacular by Stephanie Garber
• Winterhouse by Ben Guterson
• Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
• The Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean
• Wreck by Catherine Newman
• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans 
• Walking with Beth by Merilyn Simonds
• Accomplish to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer 
• August Lane by Regina Black

Transcript

MLR 51 Cozy Christmas Reads 2025

[MUSIC PLAYING] Hello, hi, and welcome to Medium Lady Reads. This is Episode 51 of very special episode. It's our fifth annual cozy Christmas Reads. This is the perfect time of year for some emotional junk food in the book form. Hi, everyone. I'm Jillian, an Instagram content strategist for Bookish People, a mom of two based in Buffalo, New York. And I'm Erin, a mom of three, a hospital administrator in Ontario, Canada, and the host and founder of the Medium Lady Community and Medium Lady Talks podcast. Together we're thrilled to bring you another episode of Medium Lady Reads, a podcast about reading as self-care, passionate love for the public library, and all of our thoughts and opinions on book culture, having its moment. Hi, everyone. It's the most wonderful time of the year. It is exactly one month to Christmas. My brain is fried. I don't want literary. I want low stakes, high sugar plotlines, where the biggest problem is the main character running out of nutmeg. Give me the cinnamon roll billionaire who buys the town tree farm to impress the baker/single mom. I will read it with zero shame and hopefully a sugar cookie in each hand. In case you can't tell, this is Episode 51. And it's our cozy Christmas Reads 2025. We are celebrating the fifth season of our annual cozy Christmas Reads episode. And don't worry, we'll link episodes for 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 in the show notes. For those who know the cozy Christmas episode traditions well, you know that means we're joined by two amazing and special guests. Yes, today we're joined by Stephanie Cunningham. Hi, I'm excited. And the originator of cozy Christmas Reads, Alley Open Lander. Hi, can I just chime in and say congratulations on this being our fifth year? So-- Yes. It's so-- I can't hardly believe it. Cozy Christmas Reads is an episode with multiple options for your cozy seasonal reading. Each of us have brought submissions for your consideration for your reading over the holidays. Some books will directly reference Christmas or the winter season. And some books will offer a vibe or option if you're looking for something cozy adjacent. And I think this year felt like a pretty long runway for some of us, right, Stephanie? Listen, the second we finished recording last year, I was ready and looking for the reads for this year. And this poor buddy Reads group chat has had to suffer through my trying to find a cozy Christmas read 365 days a year. So we're committed. Not just for you, your librarians were helping you. Yes, the whole library isn't on it, so. Well, thank you. Thank you to Steph's librarians. And hopefully we've got a good stack of cozy Christmas options for people to consider. We'll kick off the episode with our check-in, where we answer the key question, Ali, how's your reading going? What are you reading lately and what's up next? My reading is going well. I just finished all the colors of the dark. Actually, I finished it two weeks ago. And I know you both talked about it on a previous pod. And to me, it was a perfect book. And so I'm kind of in that time frame when you finish a book. And you're like, oh, nothing can live up to that book. So I'm just kind of on pause right now. I've been binge in a bit of a TV. And I did pick up a nonfiction, but just recently called Maple Syrup, a Canadian author. And it's just a short history of Canada's sweetest obsession. So I'm slowly reading that. Awesome. As our other guest Steph, you get to go next. How's your reading going? What are you reading? What's on your TBR? It's going well. I think I was in a little bit of a slump the last few weeks because I really was trying to cram in a bunch of cozy Christmas reads because I wanted to get the perfect one to bring to the episode. And so my whole Halloween was very like cozy Christmas. And so I kind of messed that up a little bit. I want to do that a little bit better next year. But now that I'm done with that, one of my goals for 2025 was to read Brandon Sanderson. And so Mistborn just came up on my holds. I've been waiting for that for a long time. So I'm diving into that series of his and also the kids. And I are reading his new book, "Trust and the of the Emerald Sea," which is his like Princess Bride. But what if the Princess actually did something? And it's fantastic so far. So we're full on into Brandon Sanderson right now. And that's taking us into these cozy evenings where it's getting dark early. And we have time to like sit down and really dig into a book more. So that's been fun. Aaron, how was your reading going the last few weeks? My reading is going great. My reading's going great. I've gotten into this habit of Saturday. I go to the library. I pick up my holds. I come home. I hopefully like I try to call the stuff I have taken out that I know I'm not going to read. And then I pick three or four books that I call my like TBR for the week. And that kind of is helping me eliminate decision fatigue and just feel like I have books on the docket. I'm making my way through them. And so what I'm reading right now and really loving is Hot Desk by Laura Dickerman Dickerson. I'll correct that in the show notes. But I love this book. It's listed as a romance, but it's very much giving Emily Henry's great, big, beautiful life. It's kind of what I wanted from great, big, beautiful life. It's excellent. I'm pretty sure I'm going to give it five stars. I'm about 50% of the way through really loving that. Love that. You posted a picture. Did you post a picture on Instagram or maybe you just sent it to the group? Yeah, I think I just shared a chat. Yeah, I immediately placed a hold on my living. And it said, yeah, estimated time is 18 weeks. Wow. It's a land on your on your living. I mean, I think whenever it finds you will be the right time. It's not like particularly seasonal or it's not very like fall or anything in particular. But that's really good. It's very funny in a way that most books can't pull off. So I'm loving that. All right, Jillian, you can wrap up the segment for us. Tell the people, how's your reading going? Reading is going so well. And I'm so excited about it because it's been a while that I've been struggling. I've been reading such great books. And it really has me looking to pick up the book over picking up my phone, which makes me so happy. Current read is Girl Dinner by Olive Blake. I'm going to just get started on this one so I don't have much to report yet. But I-- this was a recommendation from TJ Cloon. He posted about it in his stories. So I'm hoping it hits the mark. And we've hit the mark because we mentioned TJ Cloon in the episode. So there we go. We need a bell every time. Yeah, every time we mentioned TJ Cloon, one of our faves. Well, I'm glad it sounds like everybody's reading is on track. And Stephanie's been able to put her homework behind her. Tell me you're an Eniagram one without telling me you're an Eniagram one. I feel attacked. Well, it's time for Book Chat and the Heart of the Episode. All right, I am excited to hear about the range of books that everyone's brought to the show today. Last year, we rated our books on a scale of 0, Scrooge, and Bahambeg to 10 Christmas on Hallmark Street. So we can give the audience a bit of a sense of what we're in for. Steph, what about you? OK, this year, I really do think I'm on the like 6/7 side of things. I have a solid Christmas read. And a feel good novella that will feel easy to digest during the holidays. Amazing. When you said 6/7, Jillian couldn't even help herself. She had to do-- I didn't even think about it. Because Esther does it constantly. No, all my kids constantly do it. All you do is-- Oh, sorry, but I brought 6/7. 6/7. No, she doesn't do the hand motion. So my oldest is in SK. But she does say 6/7, 10/11. That's so interesting. What does that mean? Right? And that's like, no one knows what it means. No. And she's like, I don't know. The big kids say it. She doesn't need to mean anything, apparently. Oh my gosh. OK, Ali, what about you? What are your books on a scale of 0 to 10? I am going to say 10. I have Christmas on Hallmark Street with a mix of gilded age, Christmas, witchiness. 10. Yeah, get ready. Nice. Jillian, what about you? I'm going with a 10 as well. I have a nice, chiklet holiday romance and a paranormal Christmas romance. OK, and I'm last. I think I'm a solid 7 this year. I really had every intention of doing a lot of holiday reading homework. But Steph made it look so miserable that I just decided not to. Good call. And ultimately, I'm choosing today books that I would reread over the holidays, knowing what I know now. And I have a feeling people are saying, all right, enough already. Get into the books. Tell us about the books. So without further ado, Jillian, you're going to start and then Ali, then Steph, and then me, and then back to Jillian. Everyone, we've each brought two books to the show. So listeners, you will leave this episode with eight amazing choices for your potential holiday, TBR. And Jillian, I'll hand it over to you because you're first. OK, the first cozy Christmas read I'm bringing to the show is "Albe Home for Christmas" by Jenny Bayless. I gave this book five stars and would have given it more if that were possible. Though, who really makes up the star numbers? So I guess I really could have given it more. Because goodreads is nothing to me. Now, I mean, it shouldn't-- I do use it, but it's like-- you know, they're not the rulers. Because I'd tangent where we denounce them. Anyway, here's a short synopsis for you. Fred Hallohart returns to Pinebluff after a breakup, only to be swept back into her family's chaotic Christmas cracker business, reconnecting with her childhood best friend, Ryan, and sparking with charming journalist Warren, forces her to face the parts of herself she's long avoided. As old wound surface, Fred must confront her past or risk losing the lovin' holiday joy, waiting right in front of her. If you love small towns and friends to lovers, you're going to adore this book. Jenny Bayless has done it again. She's written the most coziest Christmas story that doesn't just feel like a home-marked movie. It feels more-- because there's a lot of depth to it. If I could read Jenny Bayless all year long, I would, and I'd probably never get sick of her books. They're just so good and so well written. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that even if you don't typically like Christmas stories, you may just like this one, because it's not just your typical story. That's my review of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" by Jenny Bayless. I'm so glad it was a hit again. She has hit-- there's one of hers that I haven't read. I think it's Kiss Me Under the Missile Toe or something like that that I haven't read. Meet Me Under the Missile Toe. And I haven't read that one. But every other one I've read, and they're all so good. Yeah, I love Jenny Bayless. Me too. Yeah, I think Ali, you introduced me to her at one of the first cozy Christmas, or maybe Jillian was it you? Season for Second Chance is somebody recommend. I think it was Jillian because I read season for Second Chance's Back in Winter of 2023 and loved it. Oh, I loved that one so much. Yeah, that's a good book. It's so interesting to me that she doesn't have any non-Christmas books. She exclusively writes Christmas books. She puts her all into these Christmas books, and I'm like, yeah, you can tell, because we love everyone of them. Exactly, exactly. And they always-- they never feel like not hers. They never feel like they veer from-- I feel like they all hit the same level of satisfaction to me. There's some that I prefer over others, but that's really only because of the tropes or the characters. But it's not-- they're not as polarizing as like M.H.N. or Ali Hazelwood, where you're like, some of them I gave two out of five, some of them I gave five out of five. I just feel like she's consistently a 4.55 star read for me. And I wish she would write a non-Christmas book, but also what she's doing is perfect. I know why she's doing that. She'd have to probably have to skip a Christmas one year in order to write a book that wasn't a Christmas book, because could you imagine not everybody's Ali Hazelwood and could put out two or three books a year? Is there a book released from Jenny Bayless around every Christmas? There has been for the last-- I think since 2020. Yeah. I was going to say five or six years. And then was that like 2020 the first, her first, like debut? That's what I'm seeing on Goodreads. But again, Goodreads sucks and might not be the beginning. Google agrees with Goodreads. Yeah. The 12 dates of Christmas came out in 2020, and then a season for second chances in 2021. Meet me under the mistletoe was 2022. December to remember was 2023. Last year was Kiss Me at Christmas, and this year is all be home for Christmas. So I mean, like listeners, that's like a solid line up right there. You cannot go wrong with any of those. Whatever's available at your library, grab it. I wouldn't say they're like in the same world, or you don't have to read them in order at all. No. But they all kind of give the same-- it's like they all come from the same movie set. All right. Well, I'm glad Jenny Bayless did us right again for "Cosie Christmas." Ali, you are next. What book are you bringing to the show? OK. My first recommendation is half spent was The Night, which is Youll Tide by Amy McKay and the Synopsis Go's. During the nights between Christmas and New Year's, the witches of New York, Adelaide, Tom, Eleanor, St. Clair, and the youngest Beatrice Dunn, gathered before the fire to tell ghost stories and perform traditional Youll Tide definitions. Did you know that roasting chestnuts was once used to foretell one's fate? As the witches rose chestnuts and melts led to see their fate, a series of odd messengers land on their doorsteps. The doorstep bearing imitations for a New Year's Eve masquerade hosted by a woman they've never met. Gossip, dreams, importance, follow, leading the witches to question the woman's motives. Is she as benevolent as she seems, or is she laying a trap? And so, as Gilded Age New York prepares to ring in the New Year, the witches don their finery and head for the ball on the hunt for answers that might well be the end of them. The story is atmospheric. It's festive with dark ed and reads like a magical wintery interlude. It's a very short book. I think it's only around 90 pages, 95 pages. So if you want to get that number in on your good reads on count at the still list, it's not scary. It's not spooky. It reads more like a folk lore tale. That is actually a reminds me of the brothers' grim, the 12 Dancing Princesses. It is a companion novel novella to her novel, Witches of New York. But you do not have to have read that novel to enjoy half spent was the night. That was my first cozy Christmas read pick. Ooh, I do love a novella option in that Christmas. Like, you could probably read it in two hours. And that means maybe it could accompany you during your holiday shopping, as an audiobook, not to dense. I do also find like Christmas novellas that are split off from like a known world. The storytelling is almost like the plot is at like a level-- I don't want to say where you can skim. But the plot is at a level where like it's not that serious. And I can think of a couple other novellas. I'm thinking of The Made by Nita Pros. Yeah, I think she had a Christmas novella come out last season, I think. And I remember thinking like, oh, I kind of wanted more from the plot. But then I also thought, oh, but it's like a novella in a world that you know. And it's like a holiday side quest in like a known a known universe. I like this. I just put it on hold at my library. My library had copies available. So thanks, Ali. From all right, Steph. You're next. The angst is already fading and dissipating for you. Tell us what's your first pick. OK, my first pick is actually a cozy Christmas read. Everyone be proud. And it is A Mary Little Lie by Sarah Morgan. That's the USA title. It also has another title in the UK. It's all together for Christmas if you're reading in the UK. This was a new release this year that I put on my holds list because we actually did a buddy read last year of her 2024 holiday book. That was the book club hotel, which I also gave four stars. And I lucked out and my library hold came up in time for me to read it last month. Here's a little bit of the synopsis. I really like how one good reads reader summed it up. She said, for women come together for the holidays, each dealing with their own complex relationships and worries that can possibly ruin the most wonderful time of the year. This is a story about three adult siblings coming home for Christmas and their family home with their parents and grandparents with or without their significant others and all of the dynamics that that brings. The story is told from the point of view of all the women in the family. So the mom, her two daughters and the sons the significant other. The grandparents are involved as well. So it's a multi generational mess that's actually really warm and fuzzy. There was minor like almost faded black spice and it gave me the home art feelings without the real over the top cheese. So that is a merry little lie by Sarah Morgan. I have this unhold. I hope I'm gonna get it before the end of the season. But I forgot that Sarah Morgan was the author of our buddy Reed, which no one has brought to the show. (laughing) - And then he was telling. It was fine. Like I said, I gave it four stars. You gave it four stars? - I think I did, yeah. Oh, that's what good reads tells me. I didn't leave any notes. (laughing) Good reads is like the fifth person in the episode. - So today sure. We're just keeping it like, not right now, good reads. I gave this one four stars too because it's good, it's fine. It's not like life changing, gonna stay with me forever. Like I don't know that I would buy a copy, but like it was really decent with, like I said, it wasn't really over the top cheesy homearchy, but it was like definitely like snow and the cabin Christmas feels. - Mm-hmm. Okay, Erin, you have our last book. What do you have? Or not our last book, but last of this round. So my pick is The Book Binder by Pip Williams and I was recommended this book by the famous Amanda from Australia, but I read this book last year during the holiday season and I think it's a perfect pairing for holidays plus all of the romanticism of the past. You know, we always kind of like think about those old fashion stories or old fashion settings or you know, go back a hundred years whenever we think of the holidays. So The Book Binder is set in 1914, England and following twin sisters Peggy and Maud who live on a narrow houseboat in Oxford and they work in the university's book Binder. Peggy is bright and curious, always wondering about the books she's not allowed to read while Maud is happiest keeping to her gentle routines. When Belgian refugees arrived during the war, the sister's world shifts. Peggy begins to imagine a different future for herself, one where she can use her mind as much as her hands, but love, illness and duty complicate that path. Not to mention the significant class divides between academics and workers or even men and women. I think The Book Binder is a really great choice for your Christmas reading. If you like again that nostalgic sense of the past that the holidays can bring, if you really like characters that you can care about and if you're looking for a longer book. So this book is 437 pages and that might carry you through a couple of weeks of reading and I think that might really work for some listeners who are just looking to have their Christmas book for the season and they can reach for the book binder. And if Pip Williams sounds familiar, she's also the author of the Dictionary of Lost Words, which I think is her more well-known book. The Book Binder is also from the back list, published in 2023 and hopefully available from your library without much of a weight. - I really like this. I think I want to put it down my whole list. - I could see you really liking it, Jillian. I really like the Dictionary of Lost Words. So when it surprised me. - Yeah, I think it takes place in that same world of Oxford that the Dictionary of Lost Words has. But there's also these Belgian soldiers add like a really interesting part of history that I wasn't aware of in World War I and I enjoyed learning a lot. The character of Maud is a neurodivergent character and I think it's so beautifully written. The community, the folks around her, the challenges that she has navigating life with her sister. They live on this houseboat, which is so unique and interesting and they have neighbors who also live on houseboats. It's very atmospheric and yeah, I think if you're looking for something historical fiction, this is a good pick for the holidays. - Awesome, I already added it to my, to my holds list. - All right, we're in to round two already. This is like going by two. - There really is. (laughs) Slow down. - Jillian, you're gonna kick off our next round. - All right, the second cozy book I'm bringing to the show is Good Spirits by B.K. Borson. Another five star read for me. Here's a brief synopsis for you. Ghost of Christmas Pass, Nolan Callahan expects another simple holiday haunting until his newest assignment, the kind-hearted Harriet York makes him long for a future he can't have. Harriet, a lifelong people pleaser, is baffled by the haunting. But as she and Nolan sift through the past, the uncover surprising ties between them. With Christmas Eve looming, both must decide whether their path forward lies in unraveling old wounds or embracing the unexpected connection growing between them. I absolutely loved this book. I sort of wished I could have waited to read it until more in the Christmas season, but it doesn't lose any stars because of that. That's on me and this Christmas episode. (laughs) At this point, B.K. Borson can do no wrong in my eyes. I've loved every one of her romance novels that I've read. Just dad, this one to the pile. This is a paranormal ghost romance, but it is so full of emotion and love. I just couldn't get enough. Believe it or not, this made me cry. It was so heartbreaking and then heartwarming at the same time. It was a bit slow in the beginning, but once I hit my stride, I was locked in and it's sped by. I definitely recommend this romance by B.K. Borson and pretty much any of her other books too. That's my review of Good Spirits by B.K. Borson. - I am adding that onto my whole list. I think maybe it was April or May, I read first time caller. So it was my first. - Oh, so good. That was so good. - Look, and I loved it so much, but I also do remember in first time caller, it was there was spice in it. - Yes. - It was pretty hot. What about this one? - Yeah. - It was the right level. - Like, really? - Yeah. - Yeah. There's some spice. B.K. Borson likes her spice. - I love it. I'm glad you reviewed this one though, 'cause it's totally one of those that like looking at the cover, I'd be like hard-passed. Like the cover, I feel like doesn't sell the same story that you did. - No, it doesn't. It really doesn't do a good job of selling itself. - But like based on your review, I added it to my holds. You also have a really great track record for me of like, I have loved the majority of your cozy Christmas reads. And so I'm like, okay, if Jillian 5 started, I think I'll like it. - Ooh, that's it. That is a lot of. - High praise. - Yeah, last year you did the most wonderful crime of the year. I think that's my favorite of like all the cozy Christmas reads. I think I've rated that the highest of all of them so. And of course, Ginny Bayless, so love her. - That's high praise. - I just got the most wonderful crime of the year on Libby. And I'm, I think I still have a few days left with it maybe a couple weeks. - So I'm gonna, I'm trying to push it even next week if I could start it next week. - That's good. You'll like it. - Yeah, I remember we talked about it a couple times. I think it was on cozy Christmas and then it was on another, was on one of your like tops of the year, like one of your favorites of the year or something. And I thought, well, that's really gonna stand out. - Allie, it's your turn. Okay, so my second pick is Christmas at the Ranch by Julia McKay. Julie McKay is the pen name for Marissa's state B and that name may sound familiar. She was a Reese's pick, maybe in 2022, 23, her novel Lucky. So this is her Christmas book, Christmas at the Ranch. With the holidays around the corner and her father recently imprisoned for financial fraud, disgraced journalist, Amary Oaks, does know where to turn. She's only certain of one thing. She needs to get away. Fate takes the wheel, leaving her stranded in snowy evergreen. The Pinterest town where she spent her happiest Christmas as a teen and chronicled every moment in her journal as she fell in love with handsome local, Tate Wilder, at his family's idyllic horse ranch until it all went wrong. Amary isn't ready to face Tate, but Christmas and Christmas magic have other ideas. As the love they've denied for a decade rekindles, the betrayals that kept them apart resurfaced as does Amary's family scandal. Yet Tate Wilder and his ranch feel more like home than anywhere ever has. Will Amary and Tate's alchemy fizzle or will their Christmas wishes come true? So this is the ultimate Christmas on Hallmark Street. It was cheesy, but cute. It was full of Christmas-y metaphors. It's a small town, second chance, healthy romance. That is a little bit unbelievable. Yeah, a little bit cheesy. But I think that's what-- but that is why we find comfort in those Hallmark-y Christmas books. They're predictable. We know what we're getting. Hallmark books and movies. And where the story takes place is ultimate holiday magic. It takes place in Ontario's cottage country on a horse ranch and winter. All I can say is giddy up, although the spice level is more like Santa's reindeer. [LAUGHTER] The family family, it is not the odds. It's all closed doors. It's sweet. So you're not going to be feeling any VK Boris song. I need a new rating scale immediately. I know. I know. Santa's reindeer spice. Yeah, that will have to handle for next year. How spicy is your recommendation? Santa's reindeer closed door. Santa's well here. I mean, it's family friendly. Like, it's not like-- it's not, I don't know. I don't know what I was getting out there. Not like Cowboy Hoppe. Not like Santa's Christmas. Christmas Cowboy or Santa's Rain. Yeah. I heard some Cowboy or Santa's Santa's Rain. Yeah. [LAUGHTER] Oh my god. Oh, amazing. I think this sounds like an easy win. Yeah, it was. It was cute. Very cute. And especially, Erin, I know you are very familiar with Ontario's cottage country. They're talking with the radio station. And my family has a cottage up north as well. And so as soon as you hit this one border, you don't get any other radio stations. You only get like Moose FM. And so this book was like, there are no other radio stations, but kayak FM. I'm like, oh, it's kind of fun. Like, yeah, I know what you're talking about. I love that. All right, Steph, you're up next. OK. Well, my next book isn't set at Christmas. I still think it's a heartwarming tale that would be really easy to digest during the holiday season. And that book is How to Read a Book by Monica Wood. I think this was another one that we all read and passed around last year or the year before. And I read it at Five Stars, which is really high praise for me. Goodreads calls this book a charming, deeply moving novel about second chances, unlikely friendships, and the life-changing power of sharing stories. And I think that's exactly what it is. I don't want to say too much about the story, but it follows Violet Powell, a 22-year-old from rural Maine, who is being released from prison after serving 22 months for a drunk driving crash that killed a local kindergarten teacher. And Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher who runs the prison book club. As Aaron said in her review, this book falls into a category called Hope in Healing, and it feels like a warm hug, which is true. It's very short. I wouldn't say it's a novella, but it's like 250 pages, I think. Like I remember being like, oh, it could be more. So it's really easy to digest. There's a lot of literary Easter eggs when they reference other books. And it's just a nice read that illuminates the decisions that define a life and the kindness that makes life worth living. We love Monica Wood. Yeah. We actually were reading this. We're reading our buddy read. And then also we were all reading this when it's around the same time, right? Probably around this time last year as well. Someone read it like first. And then we all kind of like quickly jumped on the Monica Wood. I think you did, Ali. I think you did too. I think you read it first too. What was your-- I think I was last because I was live tweeting it to the group chat as I finished. Yeah. We did read Monica Wood, buddy read, right? Did we read the one in a million boy? Was one in a million boy like our very first actual formal buddy read? I know we read. The upstairs. Family upstairs, woman upstairs. Yeah. Yeah. The family upstairs. Yeah. The Lisa Jewel one. I was just looking to see if Monica Wood had any new books coming out, but no, she doesn't seem to. Does she have any Christmas ones? Does she do a Christmas book? She's quite as prolific as like many authors. Her writing is so beautiful on her books. Oh my goodness. Like I baldened the one in a million. What was the one in the one in a million boy? Mm-hmm. And even in this book, I remember crying. Good pick, Steph. Thanks. All right, Erin, it's your turn again. What do you got for us? OK, last book of the episode is a lot of pressure. I'm bringing a cozy fantasy. I think many people have either already read this or at least heard of this book, but it was a new book to me this fall, "The Very Secret Society of a Regular Witches by Sangu Mandana." This has been hugely popular since it was published in 2022, but I did pick it up recently and it feels perfect for cozy Christmas since so much of the plot happens around Winter Solstice in December 26. So we follow Monica Moon, one of the very few witches in Britain, who has spent her whole life hiding her magic and keeping people at a distance. The one rule she breaks is she does post cute little witch videos online, basically pretending to be doing cosplay, never expecting anyone to take them seriously. But of course, someone does, and she receives a mysterious invitation to the nowhere house, where three young witches desperately need a teacher. Their caregivers beg Mecha to help, and she reluctantly agrees, breaking every rule she's ever followed. She suddenly finds herself wrapped up in a quirky, lovable household full of secrets, including Jamie, the grumpy protective librarian who absolutely does not want her there. As Mecha starts to feel like she might finally belong somewhere, trouble appears at their door, and she has to decide how far she'll go to protect this found family she never expected to find. So this book, I think, checks every cozy box. There's a magical house, there's an adorable found family, there's great food and drink, there's winch revives, and just enough like supernatural sparkle to keep things warm and whimsical. Mecha is a darling main character. I loved her from the start, and then as she helps these three little girls who are also very darling, she's quietly kind of healing her own inner child, and I just really loved how the author wrote that. So if you've slept on this one like I did, I highly recommend picking it up over the holidays. And if you want more, Sangu Mandana has a follow-up book, The Witch's Guide to Magical Inkeeping, which Jillian recently reviewed back in episode 49. So, guys, such a good book. Yeah, I love it. Has everyone here read that? Oh, I have read this one that you just recommended, Erin, not I ever read the second one. Jillian, does the second one, is it still a bit mecha? No, it's a whole different universe. I had this one on my holds list, and I suspended it. It came up around like October, which would have been great, but I was full on Christmas reads researching. So I haven't got to it yet, so I'll do it backwards, and I'll get to it when it comes up again soon. It does not feel Halloweeny, even though she's a witch, it doesn't feel, it's not very fall. Gotcha, okay. God, it's pretty wingery and cold through most of the book, yeah. I read this book right when it came out. I think I was one of the first to get it from my local library, and it was around the same time I was due to give birth to my youngest. And the, like, I then got in, like, call to get induced, and that night I was like, I have to finish this book. I'm in this book now. So as soon as I was done, okay, I was like, yep, tomorrow we're ready to have the baby. My goodness. [laughter] And then unfortunately, I'd stayed on my night table from Passover Dew because I'm going to return it to the library. Sorry, library. [laughter] That's a pretty good reason to have an overdue library book though. For sure. I think your library and we'll understand. I loved it. And even the covers are the cover of the new book as well. This one and the new book are just so beautiful and so cute. Yeah, they are. All right, before we go to our next segment, I'll just do a quick rundown. So I am recommending the very secret society of a regular witches. Steph is recommending a Mary Little Lie and how to read a book. Ali is recommending Christmas at the ranch, as well as half spent was the night. And Jillian, you're recommending the new Jenny Bayless. I'll be home for Christmas and Good Spirits by B.K. Boreson. You got it. That's a pretty good stack, I think. I wish I could put them all all together. Oh. I love to see them all like stack together. That's somebody going to a bookstore. That should be all, putting the pressure on Steph. Next year, then in our list, and then someone go to a bookstore and put them all on top. Yeah. And then, are we all have to go to a bookstore? And then we put them on top in a corner somewhere and we put a post-it note recommended from... [laughter] We do like stealth recommendations. [laughter] And I can put a little card, be like, listen more to our recommended... I'm in here. I don't know how to do that. The bookstore shop owner will be like, "Who are you?" [laughter] Nothing. Bye. Check out my part. [laughter] Oh, okay. It is time for hot takes and our current thoughts on book culture. A hot take is an opinion usually formed off the cuff and with little research, sometimes provocative. Today's hot take is, "Cosie Christmas Books Are Emotional "Jung Food, and that's why they heal." Sometimes your brain doesn't want a Christmas Carol and wants cinnamon roll billionaire by his Christmas tree farm. We don't shame snacks, so stop shaming comfort reads. Steph, you're going to start us off. What do you think? Ewww. I agree. Yes, I think I agree. I think like sometimes you do need the permission slip to read that like not smart, but you know, like read the not heavy thing, just to like give your brain a break. And like that's what like junk food is. You know, like it is a bright, like a serotonin boost to your brain. So like it does do something. So I think I agree. I think you need the permission slip to be able to read more mindless things and not feel bad about that. I also think though like if they're too, like if they're truly horrible, like it's just going to make you feel bad. It's like if you eat too much ice cream, like just going to feel gross, you know? So it's like riding that line of like mindless, but also not just like horrible. And yeah, so I think I guess I agree. Yeah, I'm going to say I agree as well. And like this is the perfect time. We've been go, go, go for the past 11 and a half months. We all need a break and that like time between Christmas and New Year's, where everything kind of shuts down. We all kind of slow down and yes, there's lots of holidays and doing activities. But it's also like a nice like time to kind of like stay up a little bit past your bedtime if you can and either cozy up with a comfort movie, a comfort read, something that just like kind of puts that hamster wheel in your head that's constantly churning to kind of like slow it down and pause and take comfort. And and and the cozy Christmas read. I just think that answers the question. I do heal. You need it. We all need to pause and Christmas kind of gives us that time to kind of pause. So, Aaron, what do you think? Yeah, I think cozy Christmas reads, especially the ones that we might that are really heavily marketed to women that fall into that like home-mark media vibe. I think that those give people permission to like sink into the season. Whereas when people read that same kind of book marketed any other time of year, it's sort of this like guilty pleasure. And for whatever reason in the holidays to Ali's point, give us an opportunity to like eat the cookie, stay up late, watch the watch the cheesy movie, and we kind of like take the pressure off of ourselves at the at the end of the year because we're kind of cruising in after really grinding or hustling 11 months of the year. The only thing I would say is like fully indulge in whatever it is that you want the Christmas holiday season, because there is like a wonderful side of these cozy Christmas books and we've given you reviews of some of them that we think are really great. But there are also like some of them that are that do kind of make your teeth hurt a little bit. And like don't feel like you have to read cozy Christmas reads because that's kind of the marketing, the book marketing of the season. If that's the kind of thing that you're just going to be like wanting to DNF the whole time, you know like I was trying to bring something a little bit more holiday-specific and I did an audiobook of this novella that lives within this bigger fantasy world. Has anyone read the Caravale books? No. By Stephanie Garber. So I haven't read them either, but I had heard good things about the audiobook of the Christmas novella of this Caravale season. So it's called Spectacular and it's considered 3.5 in this series. So it comes after three, but before four I guess. I, it was, listen, it was a two and a half hour audiobook. I enjoyed it. The audio production was very good. It had lots of music. It had some sound effects. But the storyline was super problematic in my opinion. And yet then I was like you really like don't take this too seriously to my point about like novellas that exist within a bigger world is like you have to sample it for what it is. And also you're not oriented to like the bigger series. You're not invested in these characters. Probably never going to read that series now. But the other side of it is like don't make yourself do something you don't want to do. Yeah, especially at the holidays. Right. The permission slip is do whatever you want to do. Yeah, whatever that is. Yeah, always. Jillian, what about you? I have to say that I agree with everything everybody has said. And my main thought is that at Christmas time, the holiday time, we should be reading and doing whatever we want as far as books are concerned. And we should be embracing that throughout the year though, not just at Christmas. Like I don't think anybody should feel like they have to read a specific type of book at any time of year. So while they might be emotional junk food, if you like that type of book, whether it's romance or middle grade fiction, or whatever the case is, read it if that makes you happy. 12 months of the year. 12 months of the year. You're here. Cheers to that. I'll raise a cozy tea. Read what you want whenever you want. And if what you want is cinnamon roll billionaire, 12 months of the year, you can find those books are I'm sure there must be there must be a small niche of people who read Christmas reads all year round. Probably. That somebody who's always chasing that feeling. There's where I live, small town and there's a Christmas store and it's open. Well, what's that of the year? And I'm sure they're blowing in luck. You have to read Christmas books. Only Christmas movies and Christmas books and Christmas music. 12 months of the year. That feels very inception. Like it feels like there should be a book about them. Oh my gosh, the Christmas shop. Yeah. We could write it, guys. We could just add it to our ongoing brainstorming of the most amazing. The most amazing, amazing books we've never written. The yeah, we could write really great books. All right, listeners, let us know if you want us to write books and can suggest on Instagram, a sweetly and lady reads. I'm telling us if you would read our unhinged, unhinged, cozy Christmas romance called the Christmas shop. We've got a title and a genre niche. I think we're like half the way that we can sell this, guys. All right, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we're going to wrap up with the holds list. Jillian and I are very passionate about the library and so are Ali and Steph because we're all avid users of the library. We all have very active holds list and we feel like that's something we don't always hear a lot about on book podcasts or book talk or Instagram. But we know that it's something that we can offer our own bookish community. And we'll also ask our guests to share what's up next so that we can all know what we're all reaching for on our TBRs. Okay, Jillian, what's on your holds list? So I don't have anything unhauled at the moment. Well, that's not sure. I have things unhauled. I don't have anything waiting for me unhauled. I didn't have anything come up this week. I need to beef up my holds list. But next up for me is Sweetheat by Bolo-Babalola. Here's a short synopsis for you. Three years after their breakup, Kiki is finally finding her footing until her career collapses. Her family restaurant falters and her ex Malachi reappears as a best man to her made of honor. Forced into close quarters, their unresolved chemistry reignites, making it impossible for Kiki to keep pretending she's moved on. As she juggles a new job, booming family crisis and wedding chaos, Kiki must confront whether the spark between them is a disaster waiting to happen or a second chance she can't ignore. I've been holding on to this book for a while, so I'm excited to get to it. Steph, what about you? What do you have on your holds list and what's coming up next? Gosh, I have a bunch on my holds list. I suspended a bunch of things. I have in the veins of drowning by Kaylee Cassidy. Also, I mentioned I have the very secret society of irregular witches, and then I'm really hoping that my alchemist told comes up and Aaron and I can buddy read that through Christmas. That would be fun. Can you tell me when you found it? I think that's going to be my bride of two years ago where I'd like you to get into this fantasy world in Christmas time and really love it and don't want to come out of it. So I'm excited about that one. And then the kids and I will be doing a read aloud of Winterhouse by Ben Guderson, and I'm looking forward to that for our winter read aloud. Steph, who picks the read alouds at your house? Do you curate them or do the kids weigh in on what they want to read? They do weigh in. And a lot of times we have a bunch of options, and so we all vote. And my 91-year-old aunt lives with us, so she also votes because she listens to the read aloud too, so it's a family vote. Charlotte is our completionist where she wants us to finish every single book in every single series. And like, Cal and I are like, there's so many books we have to read them all, and so we want to read the first and all the series, and then everyone can finish them on their own if they want. So a lot of times we'll start a book and then Charlotte will finish it, and finish the whole series on audiobook while the rest of us just move on to something different. But it's the same as my regular reading. I have so many books that I would love for us to get through, and I kind of try to curate them a little bit seasonally, but really we just mood read our way through life and vote when we get to an impasse. Well, it sounds like it's working for you. It is. All right, Ali, how about you? What's up next? Okay, up next for me after my maple syrup. Nonfiction black is I'm into wild dark shore, and I know Aaron, you chatted about this. But Jillian, did you read it? No, I haven't. Steph, that might be my favorite book of 2025. That is on my night table, a friend lent this to me, and I'm going to see in our couple weeks, I need to finish it before we hang out. And then at the library, what I have on hold, these summer storms, which is perfect. I may cancel that one until next year. I have rec by Catherine Newman, and I know we're all a Catherine Newman fan. Jillian just finished that. Yeah, she did. Yeah, we did. Very good. Didn't you five star it? I did. Of course, yeah, which is Guide to Magical Inkeeping by Sangu Mandana. The course fondant by Virginia Evans and Aaron, I know you just chatted about that book on the pod. You didn't read it, but I think you maybe put it on pause or canceled that holds. I just decided I don't have it on my TBR, but you might change my mind. I've seen it around like all of our social, and it sounds interesting. I'll see. And then ready for me to pick up is Walking with Beth. The conversations with my 100-year-old friend by Marilyn Simmons. I have no idea what I'm doing. On hold. Oh, the cover's beautiful. It's a hummingbird drinking like pollen from a flower. It is in the spring of 2021, Marilyn Simmons asks her friend Beth Robbins if she'd like to go for a walk. Simmons had just turned 70. She's still active, still writing, but entering what struck her as mysterious, even frightening stage of life. Beth, a smart, vibrant woman who held a job until she was 99, lived on her own and was as awake to the world as a person half her age. Who better to ask what might come next? During three years of weekly walks, the conversation between the two women only deepened, as they opened up about their heartfelt passions, the lingering influence of their past, and their hopes and fears for the future. In Walking with Beth, Simmons shares these intimate exchanges delving into corners of older women's lives that are rarely seen or spoken about so openly. As Simmons looks forward into a future that seems unknowable, Beth looks back, offering her experience in surviving the later life flows that batter us all and more importantly her wisdom and bet how to enrich every passing day. Oh, I think I'm going to love this one. Actually, it sounds like interesting. So that's available for me at the whole library, so I'm going to pick that up for the other day. Say the title one more time, Ali. Walking with Beth, conversations with my 100-year-old friend by Marilyn Simmons. Oh my gosh, that does sound really lovely. Past you made a good choice. All right, I guess I'm next. I have two books on hold and I usually finish my recording and I go and walk to the library right after recording, but one of them is a "Compless to the Villain," this is the third in the assistant to the villain or the yeah, I had this already on audiobook and something about the audiobook I found extremely irritating so I just returned it and put a print copy on hold. I might actually just catch and release this. I don't know if I'm in the mood for it and I'm sure somebody else will be happy to get it. And then fun, I have a merry little lie waiting for you. At the library, so I will go and grab those two. In terms of "Up Next," I have the most wonderful crime of the year by Ali Carter. I also have a book called "August Lane" by Regina Black. I'd seen a number of people say this was their favorite romance of 2025. Here's a brief synopsis. Every Thursday night, former country music heartthrob, Luke Randall has to sing another love song. God, he hates that song. But performing his lone hit at an interstate motel lounge is the only regular money he still has. Following another lackluster performance at the rock bottom of his career, Luke receives the opportunity of his dreams, opening for his childhood idol, 90s era Black Country Music star Jojo Laine, who's being inducted into the country music hall of fame. But the concert is in Arcadia, Arkansas, the small hometown he swore he'd never see again. Going back means facing a painful past of abuse and neglect. It also means facing Jojo's daughter, August Lane, the woman who wrote the lyrics he's always claimed as his own. So I have that. That's probably going to be "Up Next" this week after I finish "Hot Desk" in a couple of other books. And yeah, I'm feeling very satisfied with my reading life and what's coming up next. That's exciting. That always feels good. Mm-hmm. All right. I think that wraps up episode 51 sadly. I can hardly believe it. Yeah, that would be just. That wraps up episode 51 of "Media and Lady Reads." "Media and Lady Reads" is a spin-off of the "Media and Lady Talks" podcast and Instagram community. If you enjoyed this episode, we would love it if you took a moment and texted it to a friend or a loved one. On Instagram, you can find me, Jillian at Jillian Finding Happy, and you can find Aaron at medium.lady for more of our current reads and other shenanigans. You can also find our guest Stephanie at Stephsky on Instagram and Ali at Ali Openlander. Both of them will be linked in the show notes. And of course, you can follow the podcast itself on Instagram at medium.lady reads. If you liked this episode, please share it with another bookish friend or post on Instagram and be sure to tag us. We would be tickled pink to hear from you. Thank you for listening. I'm your host Jillian. And I'm your other host, Aaron. A huge thank you to our cozy co-hosts for this episode, Ali and Steph. We love you so much. We can't wait to have you back next year. It's been so exciting to do five years of cozy Christmas reads and we will give you the honor of our signature sign off. I feel so privileged. Until next time, we hope that your holds arrive quickly. And your next book finds you right where you need it most. We'll talk to you soon. Bye. Bye. [Music] I love that send off. Oh, guys, I love it so much.